Weather Flashcards
the force that air puts on an area
Air pressure
layers of gas that surround a planet
Atmosphere
a tool used to measure air pressure (related word: barometric)
Barometer
the pressure (force per unit area) of the atmosphere against a surface
Barometric pressure
the current or past long-term weather conditions characteristic of a region or the entire Earth.
Climate
the metric temperature scale: Water boils at 100 degrees _______, and it freezes at 0 degrees _______.
Celsius
thin, wispy-looking clouds; commonly found at heights greater than 6 km
Cirrus cloud
a collection of water droplets or ice crystals in the atmosphere
Cloud
anvil-shaped cloud that is often involved in heavy or violent storms: Cumulonimbus clouds are also called thunderheads. (related words: cumulus, nimbus)
Cumulonimbus cloud
a prolonged shortage of rainfall
Drought
a rotating, funnel-shaped cloud: Funnel clouds do not touch the ground.
Funnel cloud
an area that gets little precipitation and has very little vegetation
Desert
the temperature at which a liquid turns into a solid
Freezing point
the slow warming of Earth’s atmosphere due to climatic change
Global warming
large, fluffy, white clouds, often seen in fair skies; can develop into cumulonimbus clouds
Cumulus cloud
in weather, the boundary between two masses of air with different properties
Front
the temperature at which water vapor in the air condenses into water
Dew point
(v) to analyze weather data and make an educated guess about weather in the future; (n) a prediction about what the weather will be like in the future based on weather data
Forecast
the measure of how hot or cold the air is outside
Temperature
the study of patterns of weather
Meteorology
small, icy balls that fall from the sky
Hail
a funnel-shaped cloud or column of air that rotates at high speeds and extends downward from a cloud to the ground
Tornado
water that is released from clouds in the sky; includes rain, snow, sleet, hail, and freezing rain
Precipitation
the measure of how much water vapor is in the air
Humidity
a loud noise that happens when lightning heats the air and causes it to expand and contract quickly
Thunder
the properties of the atmosphere at a given time and location, including temperature, air movement and precipitation
Weather
a funnel-shaped cloud that forms over water and pulls water upward
Waterspout
a storm with strong winds and rain that forms over tropical waters (related term: typhoon, tropical cyclone)
Hurricane
a weather system that produces heavy precipitation, winds, lightning, and thunder
Thunderstorm
large-scale movement of water within the oceans in a certain direction
Ocean current
a device used to measure temperature
Thermometer
a hurricane or tropical storm originating in the Pacific Ocean
Typhoon
a region of low pressure with counter-clockwise wind rotation that develops into a hurricane or tropical storm
Tropical depression
describing a climate that is very hot and humid; describing an area of Earth that is near the equator
Tropical
